---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In an age that is sometimes nowadays…"
description: "\"In an age that is sometimes nowadays frightening or confusing, we feel reassured by the almost parental-like authority of experts who tell us so clearl..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e55/noreena-hertz-8858_age_in-an-age-that-is-sometimes-nowadays-fri_819080.jpg"
---

#  In an age that is sometimes nowadays frightening or…

![“In an age that is sometimes nowadays frightening or confusing, we feel reassured by the almost parental-like authority of experts who tell us so clearly what it is we can and cannot do.” quote by Noreena Hertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e55/noreena-hertz-8858_age_in-an-age-that-is-sometimes-nowadays-fri_819080.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e55/noreena-hertz-8858_age_in-an-age-that-is-sometimes-nowadays-fri_819080.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e55/noreena-hertz-8858_age_in-an-age-that-is-sometimes-nowadays-fri_819080.jpg)

> “In an age that is sometimes nowadays frightening or confusing, we feel reassured by the almost parental-like authority of experts who tell us so clearly what it is we can and cannot do.”

[Noreena Hertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noreena-hertz/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

People seek clear, parental-like guidance from experts during uncertainty, trusting authority for reassurance.

**In simple terms:** We look to experts for clear direction when confused.

Key Takeaway

Seek expert guidance but maintain personal judgment.

Themes

trust expertise uncertainty authority

Mood

cautious inquisitive

Type

advisory decision‑making

When to use this quote

- health crises
- financial decisions
- technology adoption
- policy making

Key Concepts

psychology of trust risk aversion information overload

Questions to Reflect On

- When should you question expert advice?
- How does expert authority affect personal agency?

A Different Perspective

Overreliance can limit independent thinking.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Authority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/) [Experts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experts/) [Frightening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frightening/)

## Related quotes

> [I feel more reassured with physical media. Entertainment is something that will not just become digital.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shigeru-miyamoto/i-feel-more-reassured-with-physical-media-entertainment-is-something/)

[Shigeru Miyamoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shigeru-miyamoto/)

> [All things are so very uncertain, and that's exactly what makes me feel reassured.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tove-jansson/all-things-are-so-very-uncertain-and-that-s-exactly-what-makes-me/)

[Tove Jansson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tove-jansson/)

> [I've always had to work to feel reassured, to feel secure, and that's not nice because you don't know where you stand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronan-keating/i-ve-always-had-to-work-to-feel-reassured-to-feel-secure-and-that-s/)

[Ronan Keating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronan-keating/)

> [“Yet they believe blindly in the stock market, and in the abilities of their pension plan manager. Why do they do so? Because they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/yet-they-believe-blindly-in-the-stock-market-and-in-the-abilities-of/)

[Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/)

> [Congress has always had a soft spot for "experts" who tell members what they want to hear, whether it's supply-side economists declaring that tax…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-krugman/congress-has-always-had-a-soft-spot-for-experts-who-tell-members-what/)

[Paul Krugman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-krugman/)

> [I personally feel that people feel very reassured by nature because it makes us feel small and that's a good thing for human beings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hiddleston/i-personally-feel-that-people-feel-very-reassured-by-nature-because/)

[Tom Hiddleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hiddleston/)

> [We like security: we like the pope to be infallible in matters of faith, and grave doctors to be so in moral questions so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/we-like-security-we-like-the-pope-to-be-infallible-in-matters-of/)

[Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/)

> [“She told him in a dozen ways, of which the best was without words, how she had missed him. Her emotion reassured him, promised…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/she-told-him-in-a-dozen-ways-of-which-the-best-was-without-words-how/)

[F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/)

> [I got to be constantly reassured that somebody loves me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patsy-cline/i-got-to-be-constantly-reassured-that-somebody-loves-me/)

[Patsy Cline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patsy-cline/)

> [“If I am to become a delicate cloud upon the sky, I must first convince the ground that I am not abandoning her. Like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/if-i-am-to-become-a-delicate-cloud-upon-the-sky-i-must-first-convince/)

[Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/)

> [“even when I couldn’t see it I liked knowing it was there for the depth and solidity it gave things, the reinforcement to infrastructure,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/even-when-i-couldn-t-see-it-i-liked-knowing-it-was-there-for-the/)

[Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/)

> [“We leave a Disney park reassured. We have opened our eyes to the world of the possible. We have experienced the better world. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-a-sklar/we-leave-a-disney-park-reassured-we-have-opened-our-eyes-to-the-world/)

Martin A. Sklar

> [“At the time, he had got rid of her so efficiently and so suavely that she had felt almost reassured even as she was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cusk/at-the-time-he-had-got-rid-of-her-so-efficiently-and-so-suavely-that/)

[Rachel Cusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cusk/)

> [“I’m okay,” he reassured her before he could say something stupid. Like “marry me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelly-laurenston/i-m-okay-he-reassured-her-before-he-could-say-something-stupid-like/)

[Shelly Laurenston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelly-laurenston/)

> [Only when the masses are reassured, can the country be at peace. Only when the country is at peace, can the leaders be relieved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wen-jiabao/only-when-the-masses-are-reassured-can-the-country-be-at-peace-only/)

[Wen Jiabao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wen-jiabao/)

## More by Noreena Hertz

> [When Apple introduced its game-changing iPhone in 2007, Nokia was caught sleeping on the job. Although it had actually developed an iPhone-style device -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noreena-hertz/when-apple-introduced-its-game-changing-iphone-in-2007-nokia-was/)

[Noreena Hertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noreena-hertz/)

> [I've become increasingly fascinated with social media to improve on traditional ways of preparing for and predicting the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noreena-hertz/i-ve-become-increasingly-fascinated-with-social-media-to-improve-on/)

[Noreena Hertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noreena-hertz/)

> [I grew up in a highly political home. My mother was the co-chair of the 300 Group, an organisation whose aim was to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noreena-hertz/i-grew-up-in-a-highly-political-home-my-mother-was-the-co-chair-of/)

[Noreena Hertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noreena-hertz/)

> [What about those who help growth indirectly, those who stay at home and look after others - mothers, carers of elderly parents or sick…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noreena-hertz/what-about-those-who-help-growth-indirectly-those-who-stay-at-home/)

[Noreena Hertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noreena-hertz/)

> [We are living in a time in which movies such as 'Super Size Me' and 'An Inconvenient Truth' have made box-office history, and books…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noreena-hertz/we-are-living-in-a-time-in-which-movies-such-as-super-size-me-and-an/)

[Noreena Hertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noreena-hertz/)

> [We live increasingly in a world of haves and have-nots, of gated communities next to ghettos, of extreme poverty and unbelievable riches. Some enjoy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noreena-hertz/we-live-increasingly-in-a-world-of-haves-and-have-nots-of-gated/)

[Noreena Hertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noreena-hertz/)

> [With consumers having ever more choice, corporations must invest more and more in courting public opinion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noreena-hertz/with-consumers-having-ever-more-choice-corporations-must-invest-more/)

[Noreena Hertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noreena-hertz/)

> [I was really interested to see whether we could make predictions or forecasts by listening in on what people were saying on social media.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noreena-hertz/i-was-really-interested-to-see-whether-we-could-make-predictions-or/)

[Noreena Hertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noreena-hertz/)

> [Things do go wrong. Not everyone benefits from the capitalist dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noreena-hertz/things-do-go-wrong-not-everyone-benefits-from-the-capitalist-dream/)

[Noreena Hertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noreena-hertz/)

> [It's actually very surprising how little we think about the quality of our decision-making and how we could improve it. How absent decision-making classes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noreena-hertz/it-s-actually-very-surprising-how-little-we-think-about-the-quality/)

[Noreena Hertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noreena-hertz/)

> [Get into the habit of imagining an alternate scenario. By posing such 'imagine if' questions... we can distance ourselves from the frames, cues, anchors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noreena-hertz/get-into-the-habit-of-imagining-an-alternate-scenario-by-posing-such/)

[Noreena Hertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noreena-hertz/)

> [I really believe in a globalist agenda, but globalization isn't just allowing companies to trade freely all over the world. It's about what types…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noreena-hertz/i-really-believe-in-a-globalist-agenda-but-globalization-isn-t-just/)

[Noreena Hertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noreena-hertz/)

> [Surely in a world of email, video conferencing and virtual assistants, isn't being expected to show up at the office extremely anachronistic? Yet to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noreena-hertz/surely-in-a-world-of-email-video-conferencing-and-virtual-assistants/)

[Noreena Hertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noreena-hertz/)

> [My parents decided - because they were not going to teach us anything Jewish at home - to send both me and my sister…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noreena-hertz/my-parents-decided-because-they-were-not-going-to-teach-us-anything/)

[Noreena Hertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noreena-hertz/)

> [People are looking for certainty. The more complex the world becomes, the more people look for people to give them certainty and tell them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noreena-hertz/people-are-looking-for-certainty-the-more-complex-the-world-becomes/)

[Noreena Hertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noreena-hertz/)

[Explore all 77 Noreena Hertz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noreena-hertz/)

## More Age quotes

> [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/)

[Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/)

> [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/)

[Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/)

> [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/)

[Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/)

> [When I first started writing, when I was 15, I would go to work with people and they would tell me my lyrics were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-claudio/when-i-first-started-writing-when-i-was-15-i-would-go-to-work-with/)

[Sabrina Claudio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-claudio/)

> [Real people speak in my books about the main events of the age, such as the war, the Chernobyl disaster, and the downfall of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/real-people-speak-in-my-books-about-the-main-events-of-the-age-such/)

[Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/)

> [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/)

[Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/)

> [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/)

[Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/)

> [I am just enjoying the dream of being Milan coach at the age of 40.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-am-just-enjoying-the-dream-of-being-milan-coach-at-the-age-of-40/)

[Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/)

> [Age is an accumulation of life and loss. Adulthood is a series of lines crossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-goodman/age-is-an-accumulation-of-life-and-loss-adulthood-is-a-series-of/)

[Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/)

> [I calculated that if I live up to the age of 80, then I end up using 450 toothbrushes in my life. All that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dia-mirza/i-calculated-that-if-i-live-up-to-the-age-of-80-then-i-end-up-using/)

[Dia Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dia-mirza/)

> [Why is wisdom so fair? Why is beauty so wise? Because all else is temporary, while beauty and wisdom are the only real and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/why-is-wisdom-so-fair-why-is-beauty-so-wise-because-all-else-is/)

[Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/)

> [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/)

[Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/)

> [That old man dies prematurely whose memory records no benefits conferred. They only have lived long who have lived virtuously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/that-old-man-dies-prematurely-whose-memory-records-no-benefits/)

[Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/)

> [We have started to make music at age seven. That was a hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-kaulitz/we-have-started-to-make-music-at-age-seven-that-was-a-hard-work/)

[Bill Kaulitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-kaulitz/)

[Browse all 18,948 Age quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "In an age that is sometimes nowadays frightening or confusing, we feel reassured by the almost parental-like authority of experts who tell us so clearly what it is we can and cannot do.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Noreena Hertz"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noreena-hertz/in-an-age-that-is-sometimes-nowadays-frightening-or-confusing-we-feel/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Age"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noreena-hertz/in-an-age-that-is-sometimes-nowadays-frightening-or-confusing-we-feel/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e55/noreena-hertz-8858_age_in-an-age-that-is-sometimes-nowadays-fri_819080.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e55/noreena-hertz-8858_age_in-an-age-that-is-sometimes-nowadays-fri_819080.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e55/noreena-hertz-8858_age_in-an-age-that-is-sometimes-nowadays-fri_819080.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“In an age that is sometimes nowadays frightening or confusing, we feel reassured by the almost parental-like…” — Noreena Hertz",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Noreena Hertz",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noreena-hertz/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "In an age that is sometimes...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noreena-hertz/in-an-age-that-is-sometimes-nowadays-frightening-or-confusing-we-feel/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noreena-hertz/in-an-age-that-is-sometimes-nowadays-frightening-or-confusing-we-feel/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
